We will incorporate as much input on these radios as possible, including our personal reviews, your reviews, and the eHam reviews and ratings that each radio has earned. For those not familiar with the eHam website, we strongly recommend that you at least look at the reviews that many other Hams have given these radios when you consider buying a new rig. Part of the advantage of the eHam reviews is that you can get a good feel about the strengths and weaknesses of the radio you may be considering. The index page for these reviews is: http://www.eham.net/reviews/ . In the products we list below, we will give the eHam rating (on a scale of 5, the ratings go from 0, the lowest, to 5, the highest) as well as the number of reviews which went into the rating. So, it will look something like this: 4.3/357. The individual reviews make for good reading.
In some cases, there are some radios that have been discontinued, and given their popularity, we will spend a little time discussing them as well. For some of us, the used radio market is another option for our radio addiction.
For a couple of different reasons, we have opted to discuss radios from only the top 4 manufacturers: Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood, and Alinco. Yes, we know that there are others out there (like Power Werks, Baofeng, Wouxun, and a whole bunch of others), but a combination of factors makes it impractical for us to discuss them all. If you have one of these radios, we encourage you to bring them up for discussion.
Almost all of our radios were purchased with the idea in mind of serving us on the trail and in camp. As we have discussed on many occasions, all of our radios serve us for emergency purposes, as well. Keeping in mind the 4WD, off-road excursions that we enjoy, we have arrived at some basic features every 4-wheeler should consider when purchasing a radio:
- 1. dual band (at least 2M and 440)
2. cross band capable
3. APRS capable
4. remote head mounting capable
5. scanner with PL identifier
6. lots of memory for repeaters and frequencies
7. powerful speaker (or capable of accepting an external speaker)
8. heat dissipation that does not draw air through the radio internals
9. hyper memory
- 1. Keep a hard copy of the users manual in your vehicle. For those who travel with computers of some sort, keep a PDF version of the manual loaded on the hard drive. If no computer, put the PDF on a flash drive, so another member of the group may be able to help out.
2. Learn to program your radio manually. Don't rely on the computer programmers until you have mastered the skill of manual programing.
3. know how to use the scanner on your radio.
4. know to discern the PL code of a transmitted signal.
5. Obtain a source of repeaters for the areas you intend to travel and program them into your radio, before the trip begins.
ALINCO
The Alinco brand of Amateur radios has been around for a long time, although probably not as well known as "big three' (Yaesu, Kenwood and icom.) They offer a full line of radios, but not quite as extensive, at competitive prices. Alinco does have one very important distinction that the other "big three" cannot claim, and that is that they offer the only line of 220 radios!!!
The 220 band has a lot to offer and for those looking for less congestion and more privacy, that is the place to be. For reasons which I am at a loss to understand, the "big three" have all but ignored this band and offer nothing (or very little.) Yaesu has dropped 220 from their line of mobile radios, although their previous offering was pretty lame (1 watt), and the one HT they offer comes in at a very anemic 1 watt. Icom offers nothing in 220. Kenwood, to their great credit, makes what is arguably one of the best HTs on the market, and it has a full power 220 (5 watts.) The radio is the TH-F6A and it is a 3 bander, 2M, 440, and 220.
Alinco, on the other hand, offers the only mobile of the "big three", and also has a full powered HT. Here is the Alinco line-up, including their 220 radios. Note: all of the information regarding these radios comes directly from the manufacturers website.
Mobiles
1. DR735T/E (2M/440)
http://www.alinco.com/Products/ham/mbl/DR-735/
EHam review: 3.7/51
- 1. Full-duplex receiver enables simultaneous TX/RX within 144/440MHz bands as well as V/V and U/U receiver capability.
2. Features eight full RGB color LEDs enabling you to customize your display colors in the set mode.
3. Fully independent frequency, audio level and squelch knobs for right and left VFOs make it seem more like operating two monoband radios rather than a dual band transceiver.
4. Cross-band repeater function available on all DR-735T radios.(Be sure to observe all regulations applicable to cross-band operation.)
5. Computer programmable with free software available for download at http://www.alinco.com
6. "Set Mode" menus are divided into basic and advanced, allowing you to assign less frequently used modes such as auto power off or busy channel lockout to set and forget. That makes it easier to access the menus you use more often, such as scan mode and pager settings.
7. Large heatsink and quiet fan for stability while operating
8. Wide and narrow ceramic filters enable true narrow band operation
9. Two speaker ports located on the back of the unit allow you to separate signals by both right and left sides or by internal or external speakers using audio from a single external source.
10. Features manual shift and offset direction setting plus preset and programmable auto-repeater settings. Includes 4 tone-burst tones.
11. Includes 1,000 memory channels in 10 banks, 100 right-only/100 left-only memories, 100 dual memories, 5 pairs of programmed-scan channels, and 2 call channels. All memory channels can hold output setting, tones, LCD display color selections and more.
12. 50 watts
2. DR-B185HT/HE 144MHz
http://www.alinco.com/Products/ham/mbl/DR-B185/
eHam review: 4.0/2
- Scanning functions including DCS/CTCSS/Priority/Group and timer/busy modes.
Wide and Narrow FM modes
39 tone CTCSS/DCS/2-tone encode and decode
HIGH/LOW power setting
Offset direction and frequency variable
Keypad lockout/Reverse function
Alphanumeric tag/Display dimmer
Automatic illumination brightness
TIME-OUT-TIMER?ABCLO and AUTO POWER OFF
TONE-BURST tones/AUTO-DIALER
DTMF TX speed, pause and monitoring features
S-METER squelch
Multifunctional microphone with keypads (HT Only)
Cable cloning and Free utility software (an optional PC cable required
85 watts
3. DR135T/EMkIII (2M)
http://www.alinco.com/Products/ham/mbl/DR-135/
eHam: 3.7/38
- EJ-41U internal TNC board is available as an option for 1200/9600bps packet
50 watts, H/M/L power settings
100 memory channels.
Front panel data port
Rear panel DSUB9 computer connection
No need to remove mic for packet operation
Ignition key on/off feature
CTCSS, DCS encode+decode, DTMF encode and Tone-burst are all standards
Clean, clear Alinco audio
Super-wide 7 character alphanumeric display
Wide and narrow FM modes (16K0 & 8K50F3E)
Theft alarm feature
A large, palm-fitting commercial-grade backlit microphone with a metal connector (not a modular plug) as well as direct frequency input and direct multi-function access such as monitor, call channel, power setting, memory to VFO plus more!
Stays in mode you select (voice/packet) through power off cycles
Ten autodial memories
4. DR-235T/EMKIII 25W (220)
http://www.alinco.com/Products/ham/mbl/DR-235/
eHam review: Too new for any reviews (previous model was 4.7/52)
- EJ-41U internal TNC board is available as an option for 1200/9600bps packet
EJ-47U digital voice F1E board available as an option
+/-2.5ppm Frequency stability with TCXO circuit
25 watts, H/M/L power settings
100 memory channels.
Front panel data port
Rear panel DSUB9 computer connection
No need to remove mic for packet operation
Ignition key on/off feature
CTCSS, DCS encode+decode, DTMF encode and Tone-burst are all standards
Clean, clear Alinco audio
Super-wide 7 character alphanumeric display
Wide and narrow FM modes (16K0 & 8K50F3E)
Theft alarm feature
A large, palm-fitting commercial-grade backlit microphone with a metal connector (not a mudular plug)
Stays in mode you select (voice/packet) through power off cycles
Ten autodial memories
5. DR-635T/E (2M/440)
http://www.alinco.com/Products/ham/mbl/DR-635/
EHam review: Too new for reviews (previous model was 3.7/51)
- VHF/UHF full duplex operation includes V/U and U/V modes.
Cross-band repeater function (where permitted: standard on DR-635T)
200 Memory channels
H/M/L power output settings- VHF: 50/25/5W UHF: 35/20/5W
Large 6 character alphanumeric display
Selectable display color illumination (Blue, Violet or amber)
Internal duplexer - single antenna connector
Removable control head can be remotely mounted or allow transceiver to be inverted for optimal speaker placement
Expanded receive range includes FM broadcast band (WFM)
Power supply voltage display
Theft alarm feature
Optional 1200 and 9600 bps packet operation with optional EJ-50U
Digital voice communications with optional EJ-47U
Optional illuminated DTMF EMS-57 microphone (included with DR-635T) allows direct VFO frequency entry and remote control of transceiver
CTCSS & DCS encode and decode plus four different tone bursts
CTCSS Tone and DCS scan
Programmable VFO and Memory scan modes
"Time Out" timer
Cable Clone feature
AM Aircraft band reception (DR-635T only)
Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator
Ignition key activated power on/off feature
50 watts
6. DJ-V27T (220 HT)
http://www.alinco.com/Products/ham/ht/DJ-V17/
EHam review: 4.1/10
- New, two-touch repeater access
High grade waterproof materials compatible to IPX7* (submersible 1m/3ft. for 30 min.)
Rugged polycarbonate body resists dirt, dust and moisture
Highly visible backlit alphanumeric display
Direct frequency input through illuminated keypad (V-models only)
DTMF Autodialer with Memory includes nine autodial memories plus redial function (V-models only)
200 Memories and one call channel
VFO, Memory and Scan modes
Ultra-flexible antenna with SMA connector avoids breakage
39 CTCSS tone squelch (encode+decode) settings
Tone burst function (1,000, 1450, 1750 and 2100Hz)
Battery-drain function avoids memory-effect
Ergonomic design, fits in the palm of your hand
Wire cloning capability
Ni-MH standard and varieties of optional batteries including Li-ION packs
2-level attenuator
Waterproof single mic/speaker jack
5 watts
Icom offers a very full line of mobile transceivers in the VHF/UHF market. As noted previously, Icom does not have any offerings for the 220 band. In the VHF/UHF market, Icom has distinguished itself by its aggressive introduction of digital capable radios, using their trade name of "D-Star." In fact, it seems like Icom is pushing their D-Star radios so hard as to position them over analog.
To the regret of many Hams, Icom has discontinued some previously very popular radios in favor of new ones that feature their D-Star technology. In particular, Icom discontinued the IC7000 and 706 models, apparently in favor of the new IC 7100, an analog and D-Star radio. The 7100 is all mode with a remote mountable head and a touch screen. For our brand of travel, a mobile HF transceiver is mandatory.
The need for a mobile HF radio, given the very limited offerings from the "big 3", is the area where the used radio market is becoming the go-to place for those who want this option.
Here are the ICOM offerings:
1. IC 7100 (HF/2M/440 - analog and digital
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/ ... fault.aspx
eHam review: 4.3/127
- 100W HF/50MHz
50W 144MHz
35W 430/440MHz
touch screen interface
Built-in SD card slot for voice storage and data cloning
Built-in RTTY demodulator and decoder
CW full break-in, CW receive reverse, CW auto tuning
Band scope and SWR graphic display
RF speech compressor controlled by the DSP
Voice memory function
Multi-function Meter
495 regular, 4 call, 6 scan edge and 900 DR mode repeater channels
4 channels TX voice memories
±0.5ppm frequency stability
Auto reply function in D-STAR DV mode
Digital callsign squelch and digital code squelch in D-STAR DV mode
12.5kHz IF output for DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) receive
DSP controlled AGC function loop
2. ID-5100A (2M/440 analog and digital)
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/ ... fault.aspx
Eham review: 4.2/33
- Menu-driven user interface
DTMF via microphone or ID-5100 display
Enhanced D-PRS functions with object, position, item and weather formats
Convenient memory contents management using CSV data format
Speech function announces operating frequency, mode and received callsign (DV mode)
Independent main dial, volume and SQL knobs for A/B bands
AM airband dualwatch
CS-5100, cloning software supplied
50W output power on both VHF and UHF bands
Weather channel with weather alert function*
Auto repeater function*
Touch screen
picture transmission capability
Blue tooth
Integrated GPS
3. IC-2730A (2M/440 analog)
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/ ... fault.aspx
eHam review: 4.0/19
- dual band
Mil Spec compliant (STD 810)
50 watts on both VHF and UHF
Blue Tooth
detachable head
HM-207 remote control microphone
CS-2730 Free download PC programming software
Versatile scanning capability
Squelch delay and squelch attenuator
Sub band auto mute function
Sub band busy beep function
Auto repeater functions (Depending on the transceiver version)
Auto power off
Time-out-timer
16 DTMF auto dial memories
Weather channel receive with weather alert (USA version only)
CI-V remote control capability (through the OPC-478UC)
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/ ... fault.aspx
4.5/17
- Mil Spec Compliant (STD-810G)
Stable 65W of output
Similar user interface retained from the IC-2200H
Proven durability – Tested to the latest MIL-STD-810 G Specifications
207 Alpha-Numeric memory channels
Built-in CTCSS and DTCS encoder/decoder
Power supply voltage display
4.5W (typical) loud audio
Reduced depth dimensions
DTMF autodial
Time-out timer
Repeater lockout
Automatic power off
S-meter squelch
Wide/narrow channel setting
Volume up/down function added to the remote control microphone, HM-133V
Weather channel receive and weather alert function (USA version only)
Automatic repeater function (USA version only)
Selectable squelch delay from short and long
Squelch attenuator reduces suppression from string signals
PC to transceiver cloning and transceiver to transceiver cloning capability
Full scan
Programmed scan
Memory scan
Bank scan
Bank link scan (DMS)
Skip scan
Priority scan
Tone scan
http://www.icomamerica.com/en/products/ ... tions.aspx
eHam review: 4.4/50
- 50 watts (V/U)
Built in GPS
Free cloning software
Remote head
16 channels DTMF memory (24-digit)
LCD and keypad backlighting
Built-in CTCSS/DTCS tone encoder and decoder (FM mode only)
Built-in noise filter (AM/FM mode)
Data and 9600/1200bps packet jacks on the rear panel
±2.5ppm frequency stability
Adjustable microphone sensitivity
Monitor function to listen to a weak signal
Auto repeaters function
Weather channel receive with weather alert
